ANDREW Lloyd Webber's steam-powered musical Starlight Express looks likely to set box office records at Sunderland's revamped Empire Theatre this Christmas.
The lavish West End show, about racing railway engines, achieved success by putting its singing stars on rollerskates and sending them racing around London's Apollo Victoria Theatre.
Next month, Lloyd Webber and his technical team will reveal how one of the world's longest-running musicals - second only to Cats - will be staged on Wearside.
The Empire is closed for a £4.5m revamp to enable it to hosts shows such as Miss Saigon, which has already sold 5,000 tickets for a run next year. Starlight Express, from December 8 until January 8, will replace the theatre's traditional pantomime.
Marketing and press co-ordinator Sarah Clarke said: "We will be only the second theatre to take Starlight Express after Manchester and we think the North-East will not have seen anything like this before."
Tickets will go on sale soon, priced from £10 to £20.
The redesigned production of Starlight Express is being created for the UK tour by members of the show's original creative team, including designer John Napier (Cats, Les Misrables, Miss Saigon) and choreographer Arlene Phillips (Grease, Saturday Night Fever).
The original West End production, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe,was directed by Trevor Nunn. The UK tour will feature additional lyrics by David Yazbek.
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